Special
veg-rich diet may slow cognitive decline in elderly,
study shows
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[August 05, 2015]
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A diet rich in
green leafy vegetables, beans, berries, whole grains and wine can help
to slow normal brain aging and cognitive decline, researchers said on
Tuesday.
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Cognitive decline is a normal part of aging but a study by
scientists at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago showed that
elderly adults who strictly followed the MIND diet were 7.5 years
younger cognitively over a period of nearly five years than those
who adhered the least.
"The study findings suggest that the MIND diet substantially slows
cognitive decline with age," Martha Clare Morris, a nutritional
epidemiologist at Rush University Medical Center, and her team said
in a report in the journal "Alzheimer's & Dementia."
In an earlier study, the researchers showed that the diet developed
at the Rush University Medical Center may reduce the risk of
developing Alzheimer's disease.
MIND, or Mediterranean-DASH Diet Intervention for Neurodegenerative
Delay, is a hybrid of the Mediterranean diet rich in olive oil and
vegetables and the DASH eating plan designed to control high blood
pressure.
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It consists of 15 dietary components and recommends at least three
servings of whole grains, a salad and another vegetable each day and
a glass of wine. Beans and poultry should be eaten at least twice a
week and fish once a week.
Followers of the diet limit the amount of the five unhealthy food
groups - red meat, butter, stick margarine, cheese, pastries and
sweets and fried or fast food - they eat.
The only fruits in the MIND diet are berries.
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The researchers tested the cognitive ability of 960 adults with an
average age of 81.4 years at 40 retirement community and senior
public housing units in the Chicago area over a period of 4.7 years.
They uncovered a slower decline in mental ability among the elderly
who adhered most closely to the diet.
"Everyone experiences decline with aging; and Alzheimer's disease is
now the sixth leading cause of death in the U.S. which accounts for
60 to 80 percent of dementia's cases," Morris said in a statement.
"There is still a great deal of study we need to do in this area,
and I expect that we'll make further modifications as the science on
diet and the brain advances."
(Reporting by Patricia Reaney; Editing by Frances Kerry)
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